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The MSW Characterization report provides the most recent available data on annual US waste generation,
recycling, and disposal, as well as the benefits of recycling.

Recycling is a key component of EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Program (SMM). SMM is an effort to protect the environment and conserve resources for future generations through a systems approach that seeks to reduce materials use and their associated environmental impacts over their entire life cycles, starting with extraction of natural resources and product design and ending with decisions on recycling or final disposal.

2012 MSW Characterization Reports

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